Knitting Zeal

One year later: Hurricane Sandy and kids

It's been one year since the devastating Super Storm, hurricane Sandy, hit the Mid-Atlantic area of the US.  It's destruction levelled some towns, ruined homes, schools and businesses, and changed the way the shore will look forever.  

 

January, 2013. Not quite three months after the storm. Holgate, NJ

 Children were the youngest victims of the storm.  They lost their homes and schools, had to live in temporary housing without their belongings, and watched their parents and caregivers suffer through emotional and financial stress.  Children are still affected by this storm, even a year later.  Here is a great video produced by Save the Children.

 

Below is an infographic filled with information about making a safety plan for your family in the case of a disaster.  Find a full sized graphic here  on the Save the Children website that you can print and use at home.  It's important that your children know how you will help them and protect them in case of another storm or other emergency.  My son at age six still regularly talks about Sandy.  We were lucky and only lost power for four days and had some food spoilage.  We were really lucky that one of the huge trees that surround our home didn't fall.  The house we rent each summer for our week at the beach was flooded and subsequently gutted.  The owners raced to complete the repairs in time for rental season, as that loss of income would be financially devastating. So while our family did not suffer drastic loss, the impact of the storm was still felt by my son.  I can't even imagine how the children who lost everything are coping now at this year anniversary.

While everyone hopes that another devastating storm never occurs, the reality is that it's likely that we will all endure another hazardous weather-related or emergency event in the future.  Having an emergancy preparedness plan for your family is essential.  Being sure that your children are protected when away from you is just as important.  Inquire at your children's schools  and day care centers about their emergency preparedness plan.  If they don'thave a clear plan, offer to help them develop one.  

 

Menu plan Monday for October 28, 2013

Halloween Week! October is almost over, unbelievably.  It has been cold and I've been making soup to ward off colds and coughs.  We had fun doing all of our annual fall activities, including our friends' annual Halloween party this past weekend.  I did not get a photo of my costume, but I was a UFO...unfinished object, or unfinished knitting project!  My son thought it was silly.  

Monday: Buffalo chicken salad over greens with pasta. (Using up leftover chicken from Sunday night's chicken soup)

Tuesday: Enchilada casserole and salad

Wednesday:  Lemon Chicken Stew in the slow cooker (OMG this sounds amazing!) served with salad

Thursday: Mummy dogs, homemade mac and cheese, salad

Friday: pizza and salad night!

Weekend: TBD

What's on your menu for the week? Check out Organizing Junkie for lots of menu plans!

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Applesauce and cinnamon: Homemade canning

Apples and fall just go together.  We hit two local farms for apples this year, Tabora Orchards and Solly Brothers Farm.  Picking apples is an annual tradition.  We love going to Solly Farm because part of the picking process includes a hayride to the orchard and using an apple picker....a basket on a stick!  This year the apples were so abundant we were able to pick the apples ourselves off the tree instead of using the picker!  For $12 we brought home half a bushel of apples!  About half of them, at least 12 pounds of apples, became applesauce to be enjoyed all winter long.

 

I have two canning pots...this one I bought at Lowes on clearance during the "off" season.  I'm not even sure why they sell them, but I got it and some basic equipment for 75% off!

Making applesauce could not be easier.  I did a bit of research to see what the Ball canning book suggested along with a favorite canning book of mine, Food in Jars.  I ended up doing a hybrid of the recipes.  When canning foods with a boiling water canner, it's very important to follow a recipe, especially with the processing of the jars.  No one likes botulism, especially your family!  

For my cinnamon applesauce I used 6 lbs of apples that I cored, peeled and sliced into wedges.  I ended up with approximately 8 cups of apple slices.  To that I added about a tablespoon of bottled lemon juice and tossed them while slicing to prevent browning.  I added all the apples to my pot and to that added about half a cup of apple cider and about a quarter of a cup of organic sugar.  Over medium heat that apples cooked, partially covered, for about ten minutes with frequent stirring, until tender. I used a stick blender to chop up the large pieces of apple and puree them into sauce.  I continued to cook the applesauce another five to ten minutes on a low boil after adding a couple of teaspoons of cinnamon.  (I like Penzey's cinnamon!) At this point the applesauce was ready to eat!  To process it, I followed the directions for canning in the Ball Blue Book and processed the jars for twenty minutes.  

I ended up making two batches of applesauce, since I had so many apples. I left one jar out of the canner so we could enjoy it that day.  My son loved it!  I also added cinnamon to the applesauce before canning because that's how we like our sauce here!  This is a fall treat that we will enjoy all winter long.  If it makes it that long!

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Menu plan Monday for October 21, 2013

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Another week flew by filled with activity!  Last week's apples turned into lots of jars of canned applesauce, ready to be enjoyed over the winter.  I also baked up some apple crisp recipes...one found on Simply Recipes and one that I modified from a cookbook recipe.  Both turned out amazing!  

This week's dinner plans include some soups, since it's getting chilly here!

Monday: Meatballs and spaghetti, salad

 Tuesday: baked flounder, roasted baby potatoes, peas and salad

Wednesday: Turkey burgers with mushrooms,  salad and sides. 

 Thursday: Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Friday: Taco night

Saturday: out

Sunday: Roasted chicken with CSA veggies (turnips, potatoes, carrots)

Dessert recipes I want to try:  Pumpkin Cobbler

I'm linking up to Organizing Junkie!

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Boo! Ghostly desserts for Halloween!

This Halloween I have plans to do some baking and cooking of Halloween themed foods to help celebrate this fun holiday.  All of my baking plans were cancelled last year when we lost power for a week due to Hurricane Sandy.  This year will be better!  I have lots of Halloween cookie cutters and some themed sprinkles for sugar cookies.  I think they will be a nice surpise afterschool snack when the little guy comes home from kindergarten. 

Of course Halloween makes me think of pumpkins and all the great recipes out there using it.  I tried a pumpkin savory recipe last week that incorporated pumpkin into a pasta sauce.  It was interesting!  I really prefer sweet pumpkin flavored things, though.  This year I might try making Ghostly Pumpkin Pudding.  I love the cute little ghost faces and I think pumpkin flavor will be a nice twist on pudding, since I usually only make chocolate.  I think making them in small portions will be perfect for an after dinner sweet before heading out to go Trick or Treating in the neighborhood.  

 

Ghostly Pumpkin Pudding
From Food Network Kitchens

Ingredients

Pudding:
1 package gelatin
2 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar
6 large egg yolks (reserve 2 whites for topping)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin puree

Topping:
2 large egg whites
1/3 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 pinch fine salt
Small candy, for eyes

For pudding:

Directions

Put 1 tablespoon of cold water in a large bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over the surface, do not stir, and set aside until gelatins softens and blooms

Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a saucepan that can hold a stand mixer's bowl above the water. Whisk milk, sugar, yolks, cinnamon and salt in a heat-proof bowl. Set the bowl above the boiling water and cook, stirring constantly with a heat-proof spatula, until mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon and almost boils, 10 to 12 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat and pour over the gelatin, whisking constantly until gelatin is completely dissolved and evenly distributed. Whisk in pumpkin until combined and completely smooth.

Evenly divide mixture into 12 small 3-ounce cups (paper works fine) and refrigerate until set, about 4 to 8 hours.

For topping:
Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a saucepan that can hold a stand mixer's bowl above the water. Whisk the 2 egg whites, sugar, cream of tarter, and salt in the bowl by hand. Set the bowl above the boiling water and continue whisking until the mixture is hot to the touch and the sugar dissolves, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer bowl to mixer and beat with the whisk attachment at medium-high speed until eggs hold a stiff peak, about 5 minutes.

Spoon topping onto puddings in the shape of a ghost. Decorate with candy eyes and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Prep Time:5 min
Inactive Prep Time:12 hr 0 min
Cook Time:25 min
Level: Intermediate
Serves: Serves 12

Copyright 2008 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved

Halloween 2008 Web

Copyright 2013 Television Food Network G.P.
All Rights Reserved

What are some special recipes you like to make for Halloween?  Please share!

Menu plan Monday for October 14, 2013

 Apparently I've lost my knack for being able to plan a weekly menu.  Not sure why.  

I have an abundance of produce this week, including lots of apples.  We stopped by Tabora Orchards on Saturday and picked out some great apple varieties.  I plan to make applesauce for this week.  I also have an Acorn squash that I can't decide what to do with...any more than put it out as a decoration. I've never been a big squash fan.  I found two recipes that sound interesting,  Apple-stuffed Acorn squash and classic baked acorn squash that I may try to make as a side dish.

Since it's apple season here, and I haven't the foggiest idea how to store apples for the long term, I figure out what to make with apples, more than just sauce and pie.  I did find a few savory dishes that include apples that I may try.  This sandwich, Apple, ham and cheddar melts with a side of Warm Napa Cabbage and Apple Salad (with bacon and blue cheese) sounds good.  I have napa cabbage from our CSA that needs a use, so I think this might work, although I'm not sure about adding the bacon and cheese to it.  

It feels like soup weather to me here, so I've been scouring Pinterest for soup recipes.  I made chicken enchilada soup last night and it was great for a chilly day.  This week I'm contemplating making White Bean Chicken Chili or some version of Pasta Fagioli. 

Our CSA pick up included fresh spinach for the first time this season.  I love spinach!  I am thinking of trying to make this tomato and spinach frittata this week for lunch.  I have never made one before for some reason....oh wait, that's because no one here eats eggs but me.  My son picked out teeney tiny potatoes at the CSA today....I am not sure what to make with them yet.  He asked if I could cut them open, cook them, and let him eat out the insides and give the outside skins to his dad to eat.  Ha!  I may roast them with some olive oil and rosemary next Sunday.  

So here goes this week's potential dinner menu:

Monday: spicy buffalo chicken sausages  with green salads and CSA veggies

Tuesday: Pumpkin and Spinach baked ziti (with CSA Spinach) and a green salad

Wednesday: Apple, ham and cheddar melts with napa cabbage and apple salad

Thursday: Pasta Fagioli in the slow cooker (Soccer night!) with bread and a green salad

Friday: Homemade pizza and salads

Weekend: TBD

I need to get back into this menu planning groove. Fall has been overwhelming with activities!  

I'm linking up to Organizing Junkie's menu plan Monday! 

 

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The BEST chocolate chip and candy cookies ever!

When my son was getting ready to go back to school, I decided that I would make him cookies for an after school snack on the first day of school.  He had been asking for m & m cookies for a while, so I decided to adapt my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe for him.  I added chocolate chips with the mini m & ms, but next time I promised him I would just use the candy!

This recipe is my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe because it produces the best taste, texture and appearance in a cookie.  While I can't really explain the chemistry behind why they are so good, I know it has to do with using cake and bread flour instead of all purpose flour and letting the dough sit in the refrigerator for a day (or more!)  This recipe makes a lot of cookies, so I usually only bake about half the dough.  The remainder of the dough I shape into balls with a cookie scoop and freeze on a sheet.  Then when frozen, I store the unbaked cookies in a sealed bag with the baking directions written on the outside in sharpie.  Then whenever we want a few fresh baked cookies I can pull out just what is needed to bake. 

The original recipe I used was in the New York Times.  Simply titled, Chocolate Chip Cookies and adapted from Jacques Torres, I think they really need to give them a fancier name!  I have made them by simply measuring the ingredients and also by weighing the ingredients, which makes the recipe more precise.  I've yielded great results both ways.  I do use my own vanilla extract in the recipe as well as usually a bag and a half of chocolate chips.  This time I used one bag of mini m & ms and about half a bag of Ghiradelli semi sweet chips.  I also omit the salt on top of the cookies that the original recipe calls for, as I think it's unnecessary.  

Creaming the butter and sugars together for the right length of time is really important.  I tend to leave my butter out on the counter all day so that it really is room temperature.  Beating it for a bit over five minutes gives this super creamy look that shows how well incorporated the butter and sugars are.

I think next time I make these I'll just use regular sized m & ms and no chips.  The minis worked, but seemed to need the chocolate support of the additional chips.  The kiddo was actually furious that I added chocolate chips too.  That had NOTHING to do with the fact that he was exhausted from being in full day kindergarten that week.  Really. 

I found it hard to wait to bake these, but having the dough chilled for a day really seems to help.   I know there is a great scientific explanation for this somewhere, but I haven't bothered to investigate it.  Where is Alton Brown when you need him!??

I used a large cookie scoop to make these.  I've seen some recipes that call for weighing the dough so that they are all the same size, but I'm baking for a kid, not a bakery! The cookies do turn out on the large size, but that is part of their fun.  My unbaked cookie balls were about the size of a golf ball.  

The end results were delicious!  The kiddo has already requested these again!

Aaah-choo, tackling fall allergies and school

This school year has brought us lots of changes, challenges and adjustments.  My son started kindergarten in September, in a full day program at a new school.  It's meant figuring out new routines and adapting a new schedule.  The first week of school he started showing symptoms of seasonal allergies, especially after a playdate at our friends' home where one of his buddies had picked lots of ragweed and put it in jars all over the house!  His reaction was bad!  It was that night that we began our now nightly routine of using allergy medicine before bed, since that's an easy time for us to remember it.  I also began checking the pollen reports for our area and learned that the weeds were listed as high.  Having a constant cough and the sniffles for the first month of school made the adjustment a bit of a challenge, but he is now doing great!  

As Children's Claritin Mom Crew member, I received some great tips to share with my readers regarding helping kids deal with allergies at the busy time of year:

1. Be sure to have Children’s Claritin, the #1 pediatrician-recommended non-drowsy allergy brand, on hand!

2. Multi-vitamins are building blocks to having a strong immune system. Make taking a multi-vitamin part of your child’s daily routine. My son takes a dye-free multi vitimin, a probiotic, and a fiber gummy every morning with breakfast!

3. Let there be light! Mold doesn't like sunlight, so try to keep your curtains open during the day. Should be easy during the summer months!

4. Did you know that most pillows trap allergens, dust mites, and bacteria? Monitor the cleanliness of the pillow your child with allergies sleeps on and replace if necessary.

5. Back to school season means lots of laundry for many moms. Be sure to remove laundry from the washing machine promptly. Allowing wet clothes to sit in the washer means mold can quickly grow there.

6. Monitor pollen counts and adjust outdoor before and after school activities accordingly. Dry, windy days can be particularly high in pollen.

7. Showering or bathing at the end of the day as opposed to the morning can be helpful in removing allergens from body surfaces and hair. 

8. Stay hydrated! Always send your child to school with a bottle of water. Drinking lots of clear fluids through the day can help get rid of toxins and flush out body.

9. Peak pollen production typically occurs in early morning, so try to plan outside activities at other times of the day.

10. My son keeps packets of tissues in his pockets and in his school bag.  I also let his teacher know about why he was congested. 

So while this first week of October our weather has shown us a taste of summer with high temps and humidity, we have a good handle on fall allergies now.  

As a member of the Children’s Claritin Mom Crew, I receive product samples and promotional items to share and use as I see fit. No monetary compensation has taken place and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience.

 

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